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Monday, October 27, 2014

Vloggers United - Meet and Greet

Long-time readers and the people that know me in real life know that I'm really shy and reserved in person. I think it's because of my insecurities that I have become like this. I am friendly, though. I like meeting new people. But being in a group of people always forces me to either be at the back or at the side and just be quiet. That's why I rarely attend blogger and vlogger events. Heck, I even pass the amazing annual "bloggers united" where I could score branded and trendy pre-loved stuff of my favorite bloggers just because I'm too shy to meet them in person. I guess, I don't like being in awkward situations. But a few weeks ago, Paula invited me to attend their Vloggers United Meet and Greet. I was hesitant at first because I didn't know if I'd be free that day. But luck was on our side as I wasn't invited to any other event so I was able to attend.I remember last year, YouTube organized a convention for all the top YouTubers in the Phillipines. ALL the big names that you could think of were supposed to be there. I, too, was supposed to be there. You can't imagine how nervous I was then. But when Paula mentioned that the attendees for her event are newbie vloggers, I became more excited. For me, meeting newbies and subscribers is really more thrilling. I talked a lot, didn't I? hehe Introductions are supposed to be short. Anyway, here's what happened at the meet up! :)

The event was held at Tramway in WCC, Shaw. When I arrived, some of the girls were already present, preparing for the event. They were pumping balloons and putting up decorations. Some were even doing their make-up! heheI was really impressed with the way they organized the event. It was well-thought-of. There were prepared prizes and souvenirs.

I knew we were going to an all-you-can-eat dinner, so I reserved my tummy and didn't eat lunch. hehe We had dinner first before we started with the program.

Don't you think it's funny how you get overwhelmed when you are at a buffet restaurant so you always end up eating lesser than what you thought you could? What's worse is that, the next day you end up regretting that you didn't eat as much as you could when you had the chance.

I don't know about you, but that for me that is definitely not my maximum eating level. I can totally eat more!! But I didn't. Sigh!After eating dinner, we proceeded to self-introduction. Back when I was still a student, I'd always hate someone that would suggest that. I mean, people could just introduce themselves on their own, right? Why the need to do it in front, with all the eyes glued on you? But that changed when I became a teacher and a YouTuber. For each class that I had and for each video that I filmed, I had to introduce myself. So, I got well-versed with it. hehePaula also mentioned that she wanted me to have a small talk and give some tips to the fellow vloggers. I was really excited! I always give some tips and few advises on this blog but it's different when you give tips in person. I just think that hearing someone tell something from their own mouth gives a personal touch. I get inspired by books that I read, but I get inspired more by the talks and preaches that I listen to. Before my introduction and my short talk, I asked the attendees first if they watch my videos. Only a few of them raised their hands. That got me alarmed. Like, okay. How am I supposed to get them to listen when they don't even know me? I thought that the nail arts and DIYs that I do don't help me as much. Hehe. I mean, how would you even recognize me if you saw me at the mall when all you see on my channel are my hands and my nails? Anyway, I proceeded with the short talk. I told them how I came up with the name RealAsianBeauty. Ah, that name! 3 years into blogging yet my name never fails to make me cringe. It's good, though, that always remind youhow I came up with it. So, I talked about how they could be noticed out of the many, many YouTubers in the Philippines. I also talked about haters and bashers. Last, they had me to say the actress that I look like. BAAM. Kaloka or Kalokalike?!

Sorry for the crappy photo, though. It was a joke my office mates and I had back in 2010!A few more introductions then we proceeded to the games!

These girls are so hyper in person. I mean that in a good way! They are all so jolly, warm, cheerful and friendly!

I just think my acne is sabotaging me. Every time I'd attend a meet and greet with you guys, they'd all just pop out of nowhere. My skin was okay two weeks ago! :(

I failed to take photos with everyone but here are some photos that I took.

With Pie and Dolly.

With Kerry and Paula.

With Cathie and Eyz.

With Kate and Nix.Family picture! ^_^

There is also this cutie boy, Dwayne, that has the same name as my nephew. So, so cute! I like kids that can play on their own without crying or whining but are still friendly to new people. Like me! I love kids!!! (Somehow, that made me miss my work as a Teacher to cute Korean kids... TT)

The gathering ended past 10 PM. It's really cute how parties and gatherings always end with long goodbyes and more group photos!

On my way home in the taxi, I was smiling and truly happy. Not everyone know when the program started, but that's not important. What's important is that we all went home knowing each other and bringing home nothing but a smile on our face. To be honest, I hate competitions. That probably is the reason why I'm scared to meet up with other more famous internet personalities. In real life, I know some people that are too competitive to the point where one would feel stuffy and suffocated. When I encounter people like them, I just put up my white flag. Surrender right there and then. When someone tries to prove me that they are prettier than me, I surrender. When someone tries to compete with me about being smart and popular, I surrender. I really find no point in debating and competing. I just admit that the other is greater and I'm lesser. That probably is the reason why I fear going to events. hehe But at that event, I didn't feel any competition or rivalry. Everyone was just happy, laughing and taking photos together. It's true, we are all "vloggers". No one is ahead. No one is behind.Thanks to everyone I met that day! I would also like to thank those people that said they actually started Youtube because they have me as one of their inspirations. I was just a nobody when I was young, I keep telling you that. I was not pretty nor very popular in school. But having you guys now tell me amazing words like that makes me feel really grateful! THANK YOU!***Hah! I feel like I talked a lot in this blog post! If you are reading until here then let me thank you! Thank you for always keeping up with my stories. You are all like a friend that listens to me when I have no one to talk to. Also, I would like to give some words to aspiring bloggers and YouTubers who could be reading this blog post now.A message to aspiring vloggers :Don't worry about how you could be popular; worry about how you could be different. Being popular is one thing but being different is another thing. It's so easy to go with the flow and do what others are already doing. But in a world where younger and prettier bloggers and vloggers come and go, you should be thinking how you could stand out. There's a quote that I really like that goes : "To stay relevant, one must be irreplaceable. To be irreplaceable, one must be different." Everyone else is doing makeup and vlog videos, so how do you get noticed? Be different, I say! In my case, I am different because of my love for Kpop, my struggle with acne, and my interest in art and craft. A lot of people do nail art on YouTube so I started making Kpop inspired nails. Every beauty guru has clear and smooth skin, so I told you about my acne. Everyone paints their faces, so I paint on pots and papers. You see, it's all about imagination and the being open to possibilities. I'm sure you've heard of Game of Thrones, so I would like to share a quote from it that I like as well.

Now that you know how to stand out, I'll now proceed to what you do when you make it. Rule #2 is to always be humble. Being 3 years on YouTube has allowed me to encounter a lot of people. A lot. Some good, some bad. Many readers often ask me how I get the time to still respond to messages. Okay, first, I'm not really a top-star to not have enough time on my hands. hehe And second, I am a fan, too. I have encountered some YouTubers and bloggers (some have more subscribers than me, some of them have lesser than I do) who could get a bit snob. I am a fangirl. I fangirl a lot. I admire people and I always make sure to voice it out. I like sending messages to people I like. And you know what broke my heart? Some of those people that I admired ignored my messages. Like, literally ignored. You know, sending a message to someone you admire is like a guy mustering courage to ask the girl he likes out. It's not easy and those that actually do it are quite brave people. So, when they ignored me, I thought they were busy. So, I waited. Until the waiting reached months and months. Man, the feeling of having someone you admire ignore you just like that was just heart-breaking. What's funny was that, some of those people have lesser subscribers than I do. My point is, no matter how small or big of a person you think you've become, always look back and value the people that have helped you one way or another. From then on, I promised myself that I won't ever make you guys feel that same way I felt. A blog is not a blog without readers. And a YouTube channel is not a YouTube channel without the viewers. Always. Be. Humble. Third and final tip is to just have fun! Some people ask me... Some ask how they could get product sponsorship, some ask how they could get fans and a lot of subscribers. My answer? Don't look for them! When I started YouTube, I was not after the fans, the subscribers, the sponsors or the monetization. To be honest, I was just after that darn banner that you could personalize using the old YouTube layout. Back then, users could customize the channel and a lot of settings so I was really interested in doing mine. To be able to do that, one has to be a YouTube partner. To be a YouTube partner, one needs to have a certain number of views and subscribers. So, what I did was I kept making fun nail arts and some hair and DIY tutorials. You won't imagine how happy I was when I got my first 50 subscribers! Just have fun, don't force anything. When people see that you like what you're doing, they will keep coming back. That's for sure!***Ahhhh, it's already 2047, are you still with me?! Hah, that was a long post, wasn't it? Thank you for reading and I hope you were able to pick up a thing or two out of this blog post. As days go by, I come to know you guys one by one. Some through the comment box and some through personal meet ups. But no matter how I meet you or how I remember you, please know that I am forever grateful because you always go back to this humble website. A place where we all could be just ourselves. A place where I could be myself. THANK YOU!